MAX at the White Cubicle Toilet Gallery

Patrick Doyle ‘MAX’ exhibition at The White Cubicle Toilet Gallery, the Queen Adelaide, Hackney. Patience and Helen Skinner DJs. Programmed by Paul Sammut and organised by Robin Christian, Marion Herbain and Owen Myers.

MAX is a vivid glimpse of Doyle and Padilla’s lives together, shot in and around the couple’s Silver Lake home by Doyle on 35mm analogue film. Doyle’s eye for capturing the magic of everyday moments makes the images come alive with a sense of fun and warmth. While Doyle doesn’t appear in the photographs, there’s an unmistakable sense of his presence throughout, whether in Padilla’s sly smile, Doyle’s can of beer that’s been briefly abandoned to take a photograph, or the boner in Padilla’s boxer shorts. The book celebrates gay intimacy and sexuality, and is a poignant look at the lives of two beloved people who are gone too soon.

Patrick Doyle was a musician born in Scotland, who played in bands including Veronica Falls, Correcto and The Royal We. He made solo music as Boys Forever and Basic Plumbing. The Guardian recognised him as “a one-man greatest hits collection.” He died at age 32, in March 2018.

Max Padilla was an LA-based publicist and journalist, whose writing appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times and WWD. He died in September 2017.